Honey & oats

It's not Christmas yet but this is a great time for baking cookies. If you're thinking any time is a great time for cookies, I totally agree with you (and like the way you think!) but with the cooler temperatures, I feel an unmistakable urge to turn on the oven and permeate the house with the warmth and smell of cookies baking away. I want to tuck those homemade cookies into a jar and have them around and ready for my son when he comes home from school. I want to sit down, have a warm cookie and something hot to drink. Is anyone else craving hot chocolate or am I just a little bit crazy?

Personally, I'm craving all sorts of things right now as the temperature drops. Soups, stews, cookies, and everything in between that's a bit more hearty. I've been daydreaming about oatmeal cookies lately. Talk about a wonderful creation! I absolutely love, even crave, oatmeal - particularly the steel cut variety - but if you're not like me and don't like oatmeal, chances are you enjoy a good oatmeal cookie, right? My son is one of those people. He asked me for chocolate chip cookies the other day. Apparently, he was craving cookies too.

So I made a batch of these honey oatmeal cookies, inspired by a recipe I stumbled upon in a magazine. They caught my attention because honey is the only sweetener in them. I really liked the sound of that because honey & oats just go together and since honey is my sweetener of choice when it comes to my oatmeal, this is right up my alley! I also know that I love what a little maple syrup can do for oatmeal cookies so with this, I envisioned a soft, chewy cookie, flavored with the natural sweetness and goodness of honey, and that's essentially what I got!

Since the original recipe is very much about the honey, it actually calls for Tupelo honey, which isn't all that easy to get your hands on. With it being the sole sweetener for these cookies, use the best quality honey you can find, which basically just means a honey you love the taste of. I went with a recent farmer's market find - a regular wildflower honey that I've been enjoying immensely with my regular bowls of oatmeal.The cookies in the original recipe also included raisins and pecans but since I'm not a fan of either of those ingredients (particularly the raisins), I switched it up and added chocolate and toasted walnuts instead. I used coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate here but if you're low on time, chocolate chips would work nicely, too. Putting chocolate in the picture means that some of the flavor of the honey will be overpowered by it, but I'm totally okay with that! My family would not be happy with me if I made oatmeal cookies without chocolate in it.

The end result: a chewy oatmeal cookie chock full of dark chocolate and toasted walnuts, with the notes of honey and a hint of cinnamon. With just half a cup of honey in my batch of cookies, they're not overly sweet and you taste each ingredient. I think there's just something really satisfying about an oatmeal cookie and this was no exception.These honey oatmeal cookies are simple to put together. When you first combine the butter, honey, and egg together in the stand mixer, the mixture may look curdled. I just let the mixer run for a while, until the mixture is as smooth as possible before adding the dry ingredients and the mix-ins.It's not absolutely necessary but I recommend chilling the dough for at least an hour so that it's firmer and easier to work with. You can make the dough in advance and chill it overnight like I did. Let the dough rest at room temperature while the oven is preheating. When you do it this way, I find it's helpful to flatten the dough balls a bit to help it spread a bit more evenly in the oven.

I generally make my cookies on the small side; these are about heaping tablespoons worth. The recipe below (which is half the original) made about 20 cookies in my experience. The honey provides a lot of moisture so that the cookies stay moist for several days in an airtight container.Recipe:Honey Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and WalnutsAdapted from Taste of the South's Fall Baking issue (recipe attributed to Glynnis Lanier)**The original recipe uses Tupelo honey. It also contained raisins and pecans instead of the chocolate chips and walnuts that I use here. I also added the salt.- Approximately 20 cookies - 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/8 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 stick unsalted butter, softened1/2 cup honey*1 large egg, at room temperature1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or 3/4 cup chocolate chips1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely choppedWhisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, honey, and egg together on medium-speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; let the mixer run, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until it is as smooth and incorporated as possible, about 2-3 minutes. On low-speed, add the oats and mix in the combine. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts until just incorporated. If possible, chill the dough for an hour or overnight before baking.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let cookie dough sit at room temperature while oven preheats. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. If dough is chilled and firm, flatten the cookie mounds slightly with your fingers (to help them spread out during baking). Bake until the cookies are set and beginning to turn golden, approximately 10-12 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.

I'm completely with you - I want to use my oven all the time now that it's a little cooler! And cookies are a very good thing all year round! I really like that these use only honey as the sweetener - and I do love a good oatmeal cookie - especially one with chocolate and walnuts!

With the temperature changes recently, I was just thinking today how it's such a great time to bake. It certainly is better to bake now than in the summer time! :D These cookies look fantastic. And I bet it's super chewy too from the honey! I'm not craving hot chocolate yet but I'm certainly craving soups and stews! Happy Thursday Monica!

I figured I was in the minority with the hot chocolate but I just get these whims lately and eventually, I have to take care of it (i.e., eat it) because it just won't go away. I'll get to the hot chocolate real soon! : )

I totally agree with you, with the temperature dropping you feel to be cosier and turn on your oven more often. I love all the goodness in these cookies, oats and walnuts, two of my favorite ingredients.

Thanks - I love oatmeal and crave a big bowl at least a few times a week (with honey!). If I eat old-fashioned oatmeal, I love it with nuts but I just have it plain with honey when it's the steel cut variety (my fave). I just made butternut squash soup this morning and I crave totally different foods right now that it's cooler. Cozy sounds real good!

I absolutelyyyyyy love the fact that these cookies are healthy!!!! I loveee honey and use it to sweeten most of my desserts! And this is certainly such a great recipe!!!! Lovedddd it! And yes, cookies at any time of the year are welcome!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Yum, I'm with you and love a bowl of comforting oatmeal and am definitely craving more stews and soups lately :) Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorite cookies and yours look and sound perfect with honey and chocolate chips! Your lil guy must be so excited to come home after school to all your scrumptious snacks :) Hope he is enjoying school so far and you are getting a little more "me" time too :) Have a great weekend Monica!

Anytime is a perfect time to make cookies... specially if they look as chewy and delicious as these ones. Oats + honey?? That sounds like a combo I'd so have for breakfast ;-) I'll add these to my bucket list so I can make them next time that a cookie + hot chocolate craving hits (which will be soon, I'm always craving those).Have a nice Sunday, Monica! x

I agree: it's make all the things/crave all the things/eat all the things time right now. :) i'm going through the same thing here: i think i actually had a mini-food overload breakdown the other day when i realized that i wanted to just stand in the kitchen and make EVERYTHING for cold weather. Fall needs to be two seasons long. and yes: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are ALWAYS on the list here. one of mr. table's most favorite things, and i may make some for his birthday coming up.

I am finally settling down a little...a few weeks ago when it started to get chilly, I had a slew of cravings and they just would not go away til I made the food and ate them! It's warmed up again here so maybe that explains the settling down part but I'm still writing down all these meals I want to cook and eat. I'm glad I'm not alone! Happy upcoming bday to mr. table. I know he must have good taste!

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Thank you for visiting my blog, where I journal some of the results of my sweet (and sometimes savory) creations in the kitchen! It's all about having fun, learning from others, and enjoying the fruits of your labor with those you care about.